


A moment of peace

by fi_fi_foe



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-23 11:17:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/925761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fi_fi_foe/pseuds/fi_fi_foe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short sweet fic about Liara set on a silent evening only days after the invasion of Thessia.</p><p>Inspired by this image by Matt Rhodes:</p><p>goo.gl/urDhAR</p>
            </blockquote>





	A moment of peace

Liara enjoyed these little moments sitting in the observation deck. She loved sneaking back there late at night while Shepard and the rest of the Normandy crew were fast asleep. Apart from EDI who sometimes even joined Liara. But not tonight. EDI knew when Liara needed some time for herself. A small shudder in her voice, a slight slump when she walked, taking a deep breath before she left her personal quarters. EDI had learned to pick up on these small things organics did, no matter how hard they tried to keep their true feelings and thoughts hidden.

Liara had experienced a particularly hard couple of days. EDI didn’t need to scan hard for social cues and thought it best to let her be. Five days ago Liara saw the destruction of her homeworld first handed. Thousands of years of civilization and culture wiped away in a matter of hours. But even worse, Liara witnessed the place where she had grown up, her home, being obliterated.

Since the moment she stepped back on the Normandy Liara had tried to keep strong. She saw how the crew looked at her. Not knowing whether to console her, or to let her grief. She didn’t mind. She hadn’t figured it out herself. At first work seemed appealing. Being the Shadow Broker meant she could swamp herself in information and hope that drowned out her thoughts and the welling up of tears. Unfortunately, she couldn’t ignore the dire news that escaped Thessia. As little information it was, it devastated her each time.

Earlier that evening Liara stood in her quarters, looking at the blinking notification for a minute. Contemplating whether she should read it or just ignore it. It was a report from one of her Asari agents. This was nothing out of the ordinary, except it was the first report out of Thessia in 7 galactic hours. Eventually curiosity got the upper hand, as it always did with her. She read the report, it contained estimated casualties, locations off no-go zones full of reaper infestation and much, much more bad news. Yet when she finished reading the report, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

The report ended with the line: “Starting resistance with locals, sharing intel and resources. In case of disapproval, send replacement agent to hunt me down when war is over.”

Liara stepped back from the console and scratched her head. She took her mug of tea she hadn’t touched all night and left her quarters. The Normandy mess hall was silent. A single crew member sat at the table drinking soup. Visibly tired even in the dimmed light he nodded at Liara. She smiled and nodded back while walking by. When the door of the observation deck opened with a quick swoosh, she stopped for a second. The view of the stars through the observation window overwhelmed her every time.

On the comfortable leather couch was a pile of neatly folded blankets and big puffy cushions. She grabbed the biggest, most comfortable cushion and propped it on the window sill. Finally she sat down, tea in one hand, omni-book in the other. She was reading a book about the Krogan ancients. When flicking the page she thought: ‘Heh, I wonder if that agent had a Krogan dad?’


End file.
